Journal box



Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,405

J. L. MOHUN J OURNAL BOX Filed June 15 1923 Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

' JOHN L monomer omana, mnnsxa.

JOURNAL Box.

Application filed June 15, 1923. Serial No. 645,509.

journal boxes for railway car trucks is provided with a lid or cover, hinged along its top edge and a spring, Which is fixedly attached approximately at the center on the outer face and at the center of the lid, the spring having its free end working over a shouldered lug at the top of the box so as to hold the lid in closed position and also in its fullopen position. In this arrangement, it is evident that a fulcrum is thus provided for the free end of the spring and a fulcrum for the lower edge of the lid so that the tension of the springautomatically tends to lift or pull the upper part of the lid away from its seat on the journal box proper. As is well known, journal boxes for car trucks are necessarily more or less of rough manufacture and permitting of inaccuracies in the location of the hinge lugs with respect to the lid hearing faces on the box. As a result of these conditions, it very frequentl occurs that the journal box lid is not held t the box proper and, on thecontrary, a space is left between the upper portion of the lid and the box, and spaces between the side edges of the lid and box. -This permits of the oil being gradually thrown out and also foreign matter bein introduced into the box, thus increasing t e number of socalled hot-boxes.

' Particularly are these disadvantages found in journal boxes which are cast integral with the truck side frames.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient, spring actuated journal box'lid, especially adapted for railway cars, wherein is obtained a .true and full seating of the lid on the journal boxface at every point. v 1

A speclfic object of the invention is to provide in a journal box having a box propight against er and a lid or cover hinged thereto, spring" lid in such manner that the lid will seat? itself truly and fully-throughout all engaging surfaces'of the lid. Y

A more'spec'ific object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of the character indicated in the preceding paragra h, wherein the improvements are adapta Is to journal boxes now commonly used without any departure therefrom in the details of construction, and wherein such variations as are permitted in commercial rac-. tice, will be automatically compensate for and the lid assured of a full seating around all edges on the journal box. Still another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement which follows the lines of usual construction; which is low in first cost; which is low in cost of maintenance; and, more particularly, a novel spring which, in. combination w1th a lid, may be substituted for the lidsand springs now in service and applied to the journal boxes proper without modification of the latter, the invention being also equally adaptable to'new journal boxes. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter follow- In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end elevational view of a journal box showing my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view, partly broken away, corresponding substantially to the line 22 of Fig. 1. And Figure 3 is adetail sectional view corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

In said drawings, 10 denotes one of the usual tops of journal boxes of a railway car, the same having a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, side walls 13-13, and a mouth as indicatedat 14. The mouth 14 is of rectangular outline and the edges of the walls 11, 12 and 13 defining the same, are sloped downwardly and outwardly and lie in a common plane, thus providing a flat. face 15 to form a seat for the journal box lid 16. The top wall 11 is provided with a airof integral, upwardly projecting hinge ugs 26 and an intermediate spring caring lug 18, as clearly shown in Figure 1. Said hinge lug 17 and spring bearing lug 18 are provided with alined openings adapted to receive the hinge pin or bolt 20.

The journal box lid, designated generally by the reference character 16, is of rectangular outline and referably formed from sheet metal. Said lid 16, around the two sides and bottom edge, is provided with an angularly disposed flange 23 which overhangs the edges of the walls 13 and 12 of the box proper and, at is upper edge, has a flat section which seats against the ed e of the top wall 10. At its lower edge, t e lid 16 has an arcuate flange 21 providing a finger piece 22, by which the cover may be opened -..either manually, or by the usual hook employed for that purpose. four edges of the lid and spaced inwardly from said edges and just'w thin the corresponding edges of the four walls of the box defining the opening, the lid is provided with a continuous corrugation 24, which is inwardly extended from the main plane of the lid, as best shown in Figure 2. A flat section 25 of the lid is thus left between the continuous corrugation 24 and each of the four marginal edges of the lid, which flat section is adapted to seat on the flat bearing face 15 provided at'the end of the box proper, At its upper edge, the lid is formed with an integral pair of spaced, curled hinge lugs 17, adapted to'be alined with the box hinge In S 26 to receive the hinge pin or bolt 20 t erewithin. As clearly shown in Figure 1, the lid hinge lugs 17 are left spaced from the box hinge lugs 26, as indicated at 27, to accommodate the ends of the spring, as hereinafter described.

The lid 16 is normally held in closed position by a spring 28, so mounted that the entire pressure is positively applied to the center of the lid. Said spring 28 is preferably made of steel wire of square crosssection and is made with a pair of central arms 29, converged upwardly and connected by a curved section 30 and with a pair of upwardly diverged side arms 31. Each of said arms 29 and 31 is connected by an in tegral loop portion 32, the plane of Which is at right angles to the plane of the lid. The ends of the arms 31 are curled to form eyes 33, which are accommodated in the spaces 27 between the hinge lugs 17 and 26 and within which is received the pin or bolt 20. Below the eyes 33, said arms 31- are offset toward each other and thence extend parallel to each other, as indicated at 34-34. It will also be noted that the lower ends of the arms 29 of the spring are arranged parallel to each other as indicated at 35.

Adjacent the eyes 33, the arms 31 are bowed outwardly from the general plane of the lid Parallel to all as indicated at 36, and it will be noted from an ins ection of Figure 2 that the plane defined y the intermediate pair. of arms 29 extends toward the plane defined by the two outer arms 31, at an acute angle. Also, as

"clearly shown in the same figure, the upper end of the loo comprised by the intermediate arms 29, a jacent curved connecting section 30, is inwardly bowed as indicated at 42 where the bearing is had by the spring upon the box lug'18.

The spring 28 is held associated with the central portion of the lid by a retaining plate 37, offset at its opposite ends to provide/flanges 38, said plate being secured to the lid by a rivet 39 passed through the central portion of the plate. The flanges 38 extend loosely -over the portions 34 of the spring and have their free edges slightly curled toward the lid, as shown in Figure 3- so as to thereby provide for a relative, sliding movement between the spring and the lid. At the center of the lid, the latter is (provided with integral corrugations 40 an 41 to stiffen the lid adjacent the point at which the spring pressure is applied thereto.

From the preceding description, it will be seen that the central loop section 30 of the spring is ofi'set from the eye ends 33 of the spring in such manner that the loop sections 32 will automatically always ress inwardly against the lid, due to the fhct that the outward ressure on the spring is taken entirely by t e hinge bolt and not by the lid, as has heretofore been customary. With this construction, therefore, there is absolutely no tendency to lift any part of the lid from its seat, on the box proper. On the contrary, the pressure will be uniformly distributed throughout all the contacting portions of the lid and box, inasmuch as the spring pressure is applied to the center of the lid. It will furthermore be noted that there is, in reality, no connection, in the proper sense, between the spring and the lid when the lid is in closed position. The

lid is in its full open position and to assure the spring following the lid when the lid is moved toclosed position and as the loo section 30 of the spring passes over the hig point of the spring .lug. It will also be observed that any variations arising from wear of the parts. as well as such variations as are permitted in commercial practice, will be automatically compensated for by my improved construction and complete seating of the lid with uniform pressure therearound always assured.

I have herein shown, and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a journal the combination with the box proper and lid pivotally connected to the box proper to swing about an axis parallel to one of the edges of the lid, said box having a spring bearing lug; of means for applying a substantially equally distributed yielding pressure against the outer face of the lidv substantially at the center thereof, said means comprising a spring element having an end thereof attached to the box proper and another portion thereof bearing on said lug, said spring element havin a portion therein bearing upon the outer ace of the lid.

2. In a journal box construction, the combination with a journal box; of a lid hinged thereto; a spring having a portion thereof in sliding contact with the lid and another portion connected to the box proper; and means for maintaining said spring in contact with the central portion of the lid.

3. In a journal box construction, the combination with a journal box; of a lid for closing said box; spring means forholding said lid in closed position, said spring means having movable contact with said lid during movement of the lid; and means for equally distributing the pressure of the spring through an approximately fixed point on said lid, whereby the pressure on the lid around all edges thereof is in the same direction. 4

4. In a journal box structure, the combination with a journal box having a mouth provided with a continuous flat face; of a lidhaving a flat face adapted to seat on said journal box face; and spring means au tomatically adjustable with reference to said lid to press the same into contact with the flat face of the journal box at all points around said fiat face.

5. In a journal box structure, the combination with a'journal box proper; of a lid movably attached to the box proper; and a spring, said spring being of loop formation and having one portion thereof attached to the box proper, another portion bearin on the box proper under tension, and a third portion intermediate said two first named portions engaged with the lid at a point within the line of contact of the lid and box proper, whereby there is a resultant pressure from the spring effective through the lid in a direction to insure pressure between the lid and box proper and along the entire line of' contact therebetween and free from any tendency to lift any portion of the lid from the box proper, when the lid is in closed position.

6. In a journal box structure, the combination with a journal box having-a mouth;

of a hinged lid co-acting with the mouth; a plate fixed to said lid and having a part thereof spaced with reference to the outer face of the lid; and a spring on the outer side of the lid for maintaining said lid in closed position, said spring having a curved portion freely slidably interposed between said spaced part and the lid with the curved portion thereof bearing on the outer face of said lid.

7. In a journal box structure, the combination with a journal box provided with a lug; of a lid for said box; a bolt for hingedly connecting the lid to the box; a spring having a pair of connected arms extending in the same general direction, one of said arms extending over said lid and having its free end connected to the hinge bolt, and the other of said arms also extending over said lid and having its free end bearing on said lug; and means for retaining the end of the spring adjacent said connected end portions pfi sald arms in movable contact with said 8. In a journalbox, the combination with the box proper and a lid pivotally connected thereto by a hinge pin extending parallel to an edge of the lid, said box proper having a spring bearing lug; of a doublelooped spring having the free ends thereof attached to said hinge pin and a central loop section bearing upon said lug, said spring having also a loop section between each end and the central loop section engaging the lid.

lid, substantially at the center of the latter.

10. As an article of manufacture, a journal box lid and spring associated therewith, said lid being adapted to be pivotally connected to a journal box proper and said spring having a looped end adapted to be retained by the pivot pin employed to connect the lid and box, said spring being of loop formation with a portion thereof ada ted to engage with the usual spring lug of t e-journal box and having also, an intermediate portion engaging the central portion of the lid.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7th day of June 1928.

- JOHN. L. MOHUN.

Witnesses:

Hmmx Pmson, HAROLD WILSON. 

